Every kid who had access to a home video camera probably attempted to make at least one movie with their friends. Some of those kids even go on to work in the film industry when they grow up, like Rob Hampton.
Hampton grew up on Cape Cod and was obsessed with Roger Corman and AIP movies. According to an interview with Republibot, when Hampton was a young man, he was gifted a cheap Super 8 camera and immediately began shooting knock-offs of all the movies nerdy kids in the late ‘70s were into: Earthquake, Star Trek, Alien, and Jaws.
A few years back, Hampton—now a director and editor in L.A—decided to upload his teenage output on his YouTube channel, capecodshorts. While the films he shot were originally silent, he went back and added music, sound effects, and dialogue to the clips on YouTube. He even got some of the original child actors to come back and dub their younger selves.
These short fan films are quite charming and very fun to watch, particularly for anyone who has ever aspired to be a filmmaker. Plus, in all fairness, Hampton’s Jaws is infinitely more enjoyable than the sequels.